Dynamic evolutions of local current density and water distribution in dead-end proton exchange membrane fuel cell

The anode and cathode dead-end proton exchange membrane fuel cell (PEMFC) has complex water management problems. The performance will change drastically in the dead-end mode. Stable performance output is the key to the application of lunar PEMFC. This study established a single-channel three-dimensional two-phase transient model under the dead-end mode, and verified the model by combining experiments under steady-state and dynamic state. The effects of different loads and anode-cathode inlet humidity on the output performance and the distribution of water and current density of the dead-end PEMFC were analyzed. The simulation results show that the performance change of PEMFC is closely related to the accumulation of liquid water, and the initial performance is closely related to the membrane water content. Local accumulation of liquid water can lead to a severe decline in performance.